Charade (1963)

 

Charade - 1963

Coming up next we have 1963's "Charade", a film about a woman who returns from a holiday to find her husband murdered and three men after her for what they believe is the fortune that he stole from them.  The woman doesn't know whom to turn to or whom to trust.  Even the authorities seem to be corrupt.

The film's cast includes Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy, Dominique Minot, and Timothy Chelimsky.

Danger seems to stalk Regina Lampert when she's on holiday in the French Alps.  Don't worry, it's only a water pistol being handled by a young boy.  Regina finds the boy's mother and asks her, "Can't he do something constructive like start an avalanche or something?"

Regina meets an American named Peter Joshua.  The two hit it off right away.  Their witty repartee is classic.  When Peter asks Regina if they know each other, she says, "I already know a lot of people and until one of them dies I can't

possibly meet anyone else."  To which Peter replies, "Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know."

Their humorous exchanges continue.  "You're blocking my view," Regina informs Peter.  He asks, "Oh, which view would you prefer?"  Regina fires back, "The one you're blocking."  Peter decides to look Regina up when they return to Paris.

Regina returns to Paris to find her apartment inexplicably empty.  She wanders from room to room in disbelief.

She also finds out that her husband has been murdered.  When the police question her about her husband's activities, Regina can't answer them.  They give her what is left of her husband's belongings.

Peter Joshua arrives at Regina's apartment, and, seeing the state of things, finds her a place to stay.

At her husband Charles's funeral, Regina remarks on the empty room with no mourners other than the police officer wanting to find out who murdered Charles.

Suddenly, three rough looking men arrive in succession and view Charles's body while Regina and her friend Sylvie look on.

Regina is shocked at the men's unorthodox methods of making sure that her husband is really dead.

Later, Regina finds out from a CIA agent exactly what her husband was up to and why he died.  The three men who came to his funeral were partners with him in a crime that saw them steal $250,000 from the US government.  Charles double-crossed the others and took all the money for himself.  Now, they want revenge and the money.

(I love the opening exchange between the agent and Regina.  "Mrs. Lampert, do you know what CIA is?" he asks her.  Regina responds, "I don't suppose it's an airline, is it?")

Peter and Regina spend a lot of time together trying to piece out the puzzle of where Charles could've hidden the money.  They spend their evenings in Paris together, including a memorable game of passing an orange between teams without the use of hands.

Things take a dramatic turn when the three men at Charles's funeral begin to harass Regina.  They believe she has the money or knows where to get it.

During their times together wandering the streets of Paris, Peter and Regina continue to think about where the money could be.

Eventually, the three men who are frightening her end up dead.  There is someone they aren't suspecting involved who will stop at nothing to recover the $250,000.

And Regina herself becomes a target and must run and hide for her life.

I won't spoil the film by telling you who the killer is or where the money is.  I'll only say this, the surprises for Regina keep on coming right up until the last moment.

Cast rundown:

   Cary Grant..................................Peter Joshua

   Audrey Hepburn..........................Regina Lampert

   Walter Matthew...........................Hamilton Bartholomew

   James Coburn.............................Tex Panthollow

   George Kennedy..........................Herman Scobie

   Dominique Minot..........................Sylvie Gaudet

   Timothy Chelimsky.......................Jean-Louis Gaudet

And that's it for Charade.  Full of suspense, glamor, and intrigue, it's been called "the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made".  Originally, Cary Grant passed on this film, and it was considered that Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood would star in it.

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